Night Passage - Weather Report

Aug

14

Night Passage - Weather Report

≡ Category: 1980s, Essential, Post Bop, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING

Rating:

One of several peaks in the Weather Report discography, Night Passage (on the Columbia label) finds the supergroup eschewing the heavy orchestrations of the band’s previous studio recording, Mr. Gone, in favor of a more stripped down sound, monstrous grooves, and post bop improvisation. It’s a major improvement.

Wayne Shorter, who indeed had been Mr. Gone on that album, is unleashed here on saxophone, especially on the burning Fast City, one of Joe Zawinul’s very finest compositions. In fact, the compositions are consistently wonderful on this album — they groove, they’re melodic, and the arrangements allow the tunes to breathe, for a change. Jaco Pastorius contributes the classic tune 3 Views of a Secret, although the full potential for that tune would only be fully realized on Jaco’s Word of Mouth date. Jaco also plays electric bass wonderfully throughout, especially on Port of Entry, when we are treated to his signature 16th note runs. And I’ve got to give props to Joe Zawinul for the arrangement on Port of Entry, which was recorded live. The coda to that tune makes the crowd go nuts.

There is however, one stinker on Night Passage that keeps it from being a perfect album, and that would be Rockin’ In Rhythm. The fault isn’t the tune itself, which is an old Ellington classic, but rather Zawinul’s horribly cheesy arrangement. With it’s over-orchestrated roller rink keyboards, it’s painful to sit through.

But even that isn’t enough to keep Night Passage from being essential.